A Thousand Words Unspoken
by Dragon Chyld
Summary: [Jack and Leona] Post human path. What’s a girl to do when the guy of her dreams walks away? There’s only one thing she can do...go after him. Currently a oneshot.


Disclaimer: I do not own Radiata Stories or its Characters.

Description: Post human path. Jack/Leona. What's a girl to do when the guy of her dreams walks away? There's only one thing she can do. Go after him.

Note: This is dedicated to rice who loves this couple. Let me apologize in advance if it's OOC. I never got Leona when I played and I haven't played the game in a while now.

**A Thousand Words Unspoken**

Her hands clawed at the brick as she gasped for breath. There on the bridge was the one person she had waited for. The one person that made her feel whole. She would have given him anything he wished for, provided she could. And even if it were out of her reach she would have given it to him regardless.

Leona waited for him to see her. To really see her and not just see her as another person - another girl. All he had to do was turn and look at her. To let his eyes see the person she could become. The person she wanted to be to him and for him.

His brown locks bounced slightly with each step he took. He was leaving and this was her last chance to stop him. Her last chance to confess words she couldn't even say to herself with no one else around. She had to find the courage to stop him. Deep inside she knew that she would forever regret the day she let him walk away from her.

She opened her mouth to call out to him but no sound issued from her lips. Tears stung her eyes and caressed her reddened cheeks. She released the brick support and stepped unevenly after him. Her step faltered and her knees threatened to drop her. Her pace started slow and gradually built to a light job.

She tried to call his name out again. Each time the 'J' would stick in her throat; causing only a squeak to escape from her. She cursed herself for her shy nature. If she had been bolder then he would have taken her with him when he left for the end of the world. He would have allowed her to be there to ease his pain. He would be hers.

But now he was walking away and out of her life. His back was to Radiata and her. He hadn't even stopped to say goodbye. She doubted he had even thought of her. Out of all the people in Radiata why would his thoughts turn to a shy girl who clumsily tripped the first time she met him? Why did she even dare to hope that some form of attraction was there?

Her pace quickened to match the rhythm of her heart. He was still so far away and her legs disobeyed her and refused to run faster. He steadily became closer and she reached her hand out to his back in desperation.

"You know," he said as he came to a stop; stepping off the bridge and onto the soil. He didn't turn to face her as he tapped the toe of his boot into the soft dirt road. "You'll never sneak up on anyone that way."

She froze and her heart jumped. He remembered her. He hadn't even turned around but he knew who was behind him. He had said to her the same thing he had during her first mission with him.

She let out a long sigh and held her hands to her heart. Under the pressure of uncertainty she began to sweat, her glasses losing traction on her face. She quickly pressed the frames to sit properly on her nose. Her eyes wondered to the ground between them as he turned. She was afraid to look directly at him but she knew he was looking at her.

He giggled softly in the back of his throat. "Leona? What's up?" He tried to sound friendly. She could hear the strain in his voice and her heart broke. She wanted him to be happy to see her. Truly happy. Instead he was forcing down a sorrow buried deep.

"I...um," she spoke hesitantly. She swallowed hard and forced herself to look at him. "Why didn't you say goodbye?" she demanded with enough force to surprise even herself.

He flinched and took a step back. She inhaled deeply and covered her mouth with both hands. When she was frustrated, there were times she could sound just like her brother whose confidence far out weighted her own. She tried to think of what he would do in a situation like this.

First, he would never have allowed himself to act so illogically. Second, he wouldn't fidget or fret. She knew she wasn't her brother but the same determination and stubbornness was the force that pushed them both through life. She wouldn't give in without a fight.

She was the most timid of the Weissheits, but she had her moments.

He chuckled lightly as he leaned to one side and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry?" His apology came out as more of a question then an actual apology.

She crossed her arms and pouted out her lip. "Humph."

He hung his head. "Not good enough, huh?"

"No."

"Hey, look. I didn't mean to be rude or nothing. It's just I had to leave and it was easier to just leave with no goodbyes."

She let her gaze drift to the ground again. "It's because you didn't think about me."

His head shot up and he looked at her with one eye. "What?"

"I don't stick out and you didn't even think about me. I bet you didn't even see me there at the Fireworks Festival. I was right there beside you the whole night and you only looked at me once. When it was over you yawned and left. Just like that, Jack. No 'goodbye'. No 'I'll see you later'. Nothing." Her voice was soft but her anger evident.

"Leona, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I'm…"

"No, Jack. Don't say it," She turned away from him to hide the new tears forming.

She took a step back and had just reached the stone walkway when his hand came to rest on her shoulder. "Just hear me out, alright."

She stopped and nodded. Her arms instinctively hugged her chest as if she carried her books. She left her back to him, allowing him to talk to her without seeing her expressions.

"I didn't ask you to go to the end of the world with me because I didn't want you to be in danger also."

"Also?" she asked. She could tell he wasn't referring to himself. He was probably referring to her. Ridley.

"It wasn't easy for me. I knew there was a chance that I would lose Ridley. Deep in the back of my mind I knew that I might be too late. But I hoped that things would turn out the way I planned and that I would return with her. I had grown close to her. Ah, she irritated me to no end. There was no way I would let that girl show me up. But somewhere along the way, I got scared that I would lose her forever. Now, that's what has happened."

She listened to him practically confess his love for another girl. Her heart tore into little pieces and her stomach turned. Her silent tears flowed down her cheeks and stained her sleeves as they fell from her face. She wanted to run. She wanted to climb into her bed and stay there for a week. She wanted to cry until she used all her tears and could never cry again. Above all, she wanted to hate him.

The only thing that kept her there was the light pressure of his hand on her shoulder. His fingers tightened tenderly and she embraced the contact. She felt pathetic. A stupid girl who was receiving the only attention she ever would from the guy who already owned her heart.

"When it came time for me to chose who I wanted to go with me, I knew you couldn't come. There was a chance at losing Ridley and I wasn't going to risk losing you too. It's hard to explain but all those times we trained or went on missions you…well…" He paused and shuffled his feet. "You started to grow on me. Sorta like Ridley but in a different way. I'm not sure if I can explain it."

She sniffed and tried to compose herself. She let thoughts of her brother come to mind. If he saw her like this then she would receive the lecture of a lifetime. She needed his strength right now.

"So, what you are saying is that you cared for Ridley. Correct?" She spoke slowly, not trusting her voice to stay steady.

"Um, yeah. Something like that."

She had to fight the urge to turn around and punch him. He had the hardest time just coming out and saying things sometimes it drove her crazy. Other times he would just open his mouth at the most inappropriate of times. She didn't even understand why she liked him at all.

"And that you care for me too."

She could feel his smile broaden. "Yeah! You hit it square on the head!"

She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. After positioning her glasses properly she turned but didn't look at his face. Instead she stared at his shirt. "If you care then how can you just turn and leave like that."

He let his hands hang at his sides as he let his weight lean on one leg. "I wasn't thinking."

"Do you ever think?"

He winced at her tone. She hadn't meant to sound harsh but she couldn't help it. She preferred to keep to herself and part of her was mad at Jack for forcing her out of her shell. Another part of her was frustrated at herself. She was angry at her own awkwardness.

"Heh, I guess not." He was chuckling. She started to wonder if he was able to go longer then a few minutes without a smile on his face. No matter what the situation, he always took it lightly. Sometimes it seemed that nothing could get him down.

That was what she liked in him. That was what drew her to him and made her want to know more about him. She wanted to know what made Jack Russell tick.

They both stood motionless for a few minutes. She kept her focus on his shirt, unable to move. She wanted to say something; anything but she didn't even know where to start.

"Hey, Leona?"

"Humm?"

"You're done with classes for the semester right?"

"Y-yeah." She had no idea where that question came from. What was he getting at?

"Have you signed up for the next semester yet?"

"No, registration isn't until tomorrow. Why?"

She chanced a look up at him. He had his hand on the back of his head and he was surveying the sky. If she didn't know any better she would have thought he was nervous. But that couldn't be right. Jack didn't get nervous.

"Well, if you haven't signed up for anything yet then why not just take a semester off?"

She threw him a death glare that shortly died in confusion. "But if I take a semester off I'll be a whole semester behind and my whole schedule will be out of order."

He laughed. He didn't chuckle or giggle, but laughed hardily.

"What?" She didn't know whether to be mad at him or laugh with him.

"It's just that you sounded exactly like Genius just then."

"I…" She could feel her cheeks redden.

He let his eyes drop and land on hers. "You don't have to live your life by a schedule. You could always take a semester off and come traveling with me."

She involuntarily took a step back. He had just asked her to go with him and she was once again rendered speechless. Now she was torn between what her heart wanted and what her head wanted. She had always known that her studies were important. She wanted to one day be as recognized as her brother. If she went with him then she would be jeopardizing that.

But if she didn't go with him, she would regret it until the day she died.

"You mean it?"

"Yeah," he replied, smiling. "Why not. After all the missions we went on I know I can count on you. Besides, it'll be fun. So? Whatcha say?"

She swallowed hard as she searched his becoming brown eyes. She felt her self on the edge of his stare and if she tilted too far she knew she would fall and never recover.

"O-okay."

He nodded. "Alright! Let's get going." He turned away from her and resumed his walk.

"Um, Jack. Wait."

"Huh?" He turned to face her.

"I need to get my things first. I can't just go with nothing."

He scrunched up his nose and she knew he was going to tease her. "Just don't over pack. I really don't want to have to help you lug your things around the world."

She shook her head almost too eagerly. "No, I promise it'll be just a few things. Can you wait right here for me?"

"Sure!"

His smile warmed her to the core and she was given a sudden burst of energy as she spun on her heels and back toward Radiata. She glanced over her shoulder. "I'll be right back."

"I'll be waiting."

Her mind raced as she jogged back down the stone path. He said he would wait and she knew he would. She had waited for him for what felt like an eternity and finally he was there. She hardly knew what to do with all the excitement that ran through her as she reached her room. As fast as she could she gathered just a few changes of clothing into a bag. She paused at her dresser and looked at herself in the mirror. She was still in her school uniform. She couldn't go traveling around in that, not while she wasn't attending the academy.

She quickly changed into a light green shirt with a matching plaid skirt of a darker and complimenting green hue. Her brother had told her one time that just the right shade of green really brought out her hair and eyes. She smiled at her reflection as she redid her pony tail.

The last thing she put on was a cloak her brother had gotten her for her last birthday. Glancing around she noticed the one thing she would kick herself if she forgot – her diary.

She had the diary for years and only wrote in it occasionally. Since that day, the day she ran into Jack (literally) her diary had been filled with many memories she wished to keep close to her. She shoved the diary into her bag and was finally satisfied.

She was ready to leave. She would do something she never thought possible. She would be spontaneous and she didn't hesitate.

She did her best to walk casually from the school. A few students gave her odd looks as she passed but she shrugged them off. She was rarely seen out of uniform and for once she didn't mind the attention.

When she returned to the gate, she noticed he was sitting in the same spot she left him. He had his head leaned back on a rock and appeared to be napping.

"Well, we'll never get anywhere with you sleeping like that," she teased.

He jumped at her voice and landed on his feet. She couldn't help but to laugh, covering her mouth with both hands. Soon he was laughing with her as he picked his bag up.

"You, um, look good without your uniform."

Her face reddened and she averted her gaze. "T-thanks."

"Well," he said offering her his arm. "Ready?"

She hesitated slightly as she slipped her hand through his arm. He smiled at her before facing straight ahead. He held his head high and matched. "And we're off!"

She sighed. This was going to be the most interesting semester she had ever spent. That much she was sure of.

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(A/N) I hope you liked that rice! I hope others might like it too. I do lean a little more toward the Jack and Ridley pairing, but I have to agree that Leona's cute. Don't be afraid to point out any thing that's OOC. Thanks :)


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